Overheard at the family BBQ: "Oh my God it's huge!"

by Ken Weeks { May 30th 2006 at 8:35AM }

The family Memorial Day weekend BBQ was the first time my non-gamer geek relatives got a chance to spend some quality in-door air-conditioned time with my Xbox 360. Comments ranged from my Mother's horror at the realistic blood and Burger King ads in FNR:3 to group frustration with Geometry Wars (still too intimidating for the most casual, even after several Coronas). Best line of the the day:

"What is that thing?...Oh my God it's huge!"

In reference to El Jefe, otherwise known as the the 360 power supply.

Tags: power brick, power supply, PowerBrick, PowerSupply, xbox 360, Xbox360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Daryl @ May 30th 2006 8:42AM

I've noticed it's harder to play Geometry Wars on alcohol.

cap-n-crunch @ May 30th 2006 8:46AM

Ive been leaving my 360 on all day even when im not playing it for about 2 months now. But now it's summertime im going to buy a fan for it. Which part is it more important to keep cool the back of the console or that big black brick?

Chris @ May 30th 2006 8:48AM

it's a power supply, what do you think it's gonna like like.

have a look at your PC's and tell me it's not that big.

Think Random @ May 30th 2006 8:54AM

Remember though Chris that it is an internal supply, wheras this is external, hence us all going "WTF?".

vadermaggot @ May 30th 2006 8:55AM

2)Why do you leave your console on all the time? Don't you know that the energy you waste could run Zimbabwe? Or do you just want your electric bill and replacement costs to be astronomical. there is no reason to leave your system on unless your too cheap to buy a memory card. what a tool........

Indiana Jones @ May 30th 2006 8:55AM

Breaking news Chris. PC's power supplies are internal.

GlitchCog @ May 30th 2006 8:57AM

Can you grill on it?

Conrad Quilty-Harper @ May 30th 2006 9:07AM

Like Indiana says, pretty much all PC power supplies are internal. And mine's not even 1/4 as big as the Xbox 360 PSU (I've got a Shuttle XPC).

jron @ May 30th 2006 9:08AM

#6

Yes, but if you flip the burgers the wrong way they fall through the grills.

James Varghese @ May 30th 2006 9:10AM

I know it's a games site but hey, HUGE shoutout for using the BEST BBQ sauce on the planet! I love that stuff!

bedpanjohn @ May 30th 2006 9:11AM

i have began building a house out of the 360 power bricks. it will be a sight, oh yes, a magnificent sight indead!

Canadian Geese @ May 30th 2006 9:13AM

I don't mind the size of it. It hides nicely behind my TV but off to the side a little bit so it can get some air. I'd much rather have it external than internal.

The PS3's is internal. I wonder if it will have overheating problems once released...

jaemz @ May 30th 2006 9:15AM

The size of the power supply is only a problem if you are taking the X360 to a friends place... cases that are big enough to fit everything become very large.

Fact is, the X360 requires a lot of energy and I am glad MS didn't go cheap on the power supply.

The geek in me wants to mod my power supply to look like the Echo Base Sheild Generator. Anyone else have any good mod ideas?

Canadian Geese @ May 30th 2006 9:16AM

Speaking of grills...

Here's a new mod for the PS3...

http://cache.kotaku.com/images/2006/05/Ken%20Kutaragi%20is%20proud%20of%20Playstation%203.jpg

MarioKart Wii @ May 30th 2006 9:20AM

^^ I don't think there is anything new about that mod.

My non gamer girlfriend likes to ride my horse around in Obvlivion.

Josh @ May 30th 2006 9:22AM

Lots of fast transistors require a lot of power. They could have made the console slower and given it a smaller power supply.

Which would you choose?

botdeluxe @ May 30th 2006 9:23AM

Oh yeah, thats what it looks like... I stuck it behind my TV stand last Nov and haven't looked at it since.

Animagnum @ May 30th 2006 9:29AM

Sweet Baby Ray's!! Not a bad place to keep the sauce warmed.

KilgoreTrout XL @ May 30th 2006 9:38AM

You're going to melt the bottle! ;)

Yeah, it's friggin huge. Never really bothered me though. I have it in a place where it gets plenty of air and I can't see it.

Yo shake yo thang @ May 30th 2006 9:38AM

PS3's is internal thats why the PS3 is an ugly huge round shape. Not bothered by the brick power cable.

Fredrik Dunder @ May 30th 2006 9:50AM

ha ha, what a funny/made up story.. plese post more (note: sarcasm)

martin @ May 30th 2006 9:55AM

Surprising Ken, you actually named your power brick. From what I have seen in the past, you don't name the power brick, the power brick names you!!!

shinsnake @ May 30th 2006 10:05AM

A guy at work was in the bosses office when the rest of us heard him say, "That thing's huge. Get it out of my face." We started busting out laughing. Turns out, the boss had caught a large spider and knew that the employee was scared of spiders and waved it in his face. He never lived that quote down. The other funny one was from me. We were playing Quake 2 (back in the day, obviously) and this guy was kicking my arse. Finally, I get all powered up and go after him and he hits me with two rails but I still kill him with a few rockets. He says, "Oh, come on." To which I reply, "Don't 'come on' me." Yeah, I never lived that one down. Ahh, funny, inadvertently gay comments are always crowd pleasers.

The_Wind_Waker8 @ May 30th 2006 10:07AM

If that picture is real, then that BBQ sauce must be 5 feet tall!

boots @ May 30th 2006 10:24AM

PS3 Grill? More like Xbox 360 Grill.

Lunker @ May 30th 2006 10:29AM

I actually got the chance to play a 360 for the first time as well this weekend, over a buddy's house. And all I have to say is that Geometry Wars, much like barbecue sauce, is delicious.

Oncnawan @ May 30th 2006 10:34AM

Ah, boots, none of can escape the speed and precision of your rapier wit. Pray, continue.

On topic: I'm with botdeluxe, sure the power supply is big, but I haven't seen mine since I last moved my furniture.

bladestar @ May 30th 2006 10:39AM

A typical day at joystiq...

Contributor 1: "Another slow day... No wii news. any Ideas?"

Contributor 2: "uhhh!? I got it! Lets try to bash the 360! our fanboys love it when we do."

Contributor 1: "Again!? that’s getting old already."

Contributor 2: "We can try to start something about the system's power supply. It's huge!"

Contributor 1: "Especially that's getting old."

Contributor 2: "We can make a story about my Mother's horror when she sees the 360's power supply!"

Contributor 1: "but, you don't own a 360."

Contributor 2: "Who cares! our readers are too stupid to tell! as long as you say something negative about the 360 they are all happy!"

Contributor 1: "True.. but I rather to talk about my brick. wanna see?"

Andir @ May 30th 2006 10:58AM

Your missing the point here. In the computer world, smaller IS better. With smaller die processing comes energy savings and higher cost. With energy savings comes lower heat. The fact is that MS isn't using a processor that's top of the line. This causes the XBox to use more power and therefore need a bigger influx of power. The point you don't get is that they are giving you the bargain basement technology that just fits in the box (or doesn't fit everything in the box as the case may be) and charging you for it as if it's new. If the XBox was truly top of the line in gaming, they would be using a smaller trace size requiring less power.

Take a look at the 6000 series nVidia and compare it to the 7000 series in terms of heat sink size. The 6000 used nearly 3 times the heatsink that the 7000 does. This has alot to do with the amount of power required to run the core.

jon @ May 30th 2006 11:01AM

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/30/7-more-reasons-for-bogus-games-journalism/

I think this post falls under rule #4: Inexperience with real Journalism.

Jonn @ May 30th 2006 11:06AM

I thought that was a Radiator.

cringer8 @ May 30th 2006 11:18AM

Sony fanboys can't imagine criticizing their own system, so it makes sense that they wouldn't believe this post. "You CAN'T own a 360, cause if you did, you wouldn't be able to make fun of it." LOL

Or, better yet, you're only making fun of the Xbox so that it will be easier to make fun of the Playstation later. Like building up "bashing equity."

Conspiracy theories abound! Joystiq bloggers are employing counterterrorist tactics! You guys are sooooo brilliantly biased. Hahaha

puh_fifer @ May 30th 2006 11:36AM

As a fat kid who loves chicken, I'd have to say sweet baby ray's is a gift from god, ranking right up there with beer.

Josh @ May 30th 2006 11:42AM

"Your missing the point here. In the computer world, smaller IS better. With smaller die processing comes energy savings and higher cost. With energy savings comes lower heat. The fact is that MS isn't using a processor that's top of the line. This causes the XBox to use more power and therefore need a bigger influx of power. The point you don't get is that they are giving you the bargain basement technology that just fits in the box (or doesn't fit everything in the box as the case may be) and charging you for it as if it's new. If the XBox was truly top of the line in gaming, they would be using a smaller trace size requiring less power."

You really have no idea what you are talking about, here (especially obvious given the term "trace size"). The XBox 360's processor is made using 90nm CMOS technology. The only company to use a technology smaller than 90nm at this point is Intel, who has been shipping 65nm processors since the end of 2005. AMD won't have their 65nm processors shipping until December of this year.

No, 90nm technology isn't top of the line anymore in the industry. But for many companies, it is top of the line. And it is certainly a much smaller geometry than some companies will ever see or even need to use.

At the time that the XBox 360 was first being shipped, 90nm was the absolute cream of the crop. It was the smallest and the fastest. For large, high performance integrated circuits like CPUs and graphics processors, you really want to produce chips using the smallest technology that is readily available. Why? Because it is CHEAPER to do so! Smaller geometries mean smaller chips. This means you can fit more chips on a wafer. And this gives you more working chips per wafer, or yield (a problem that SONY seems to be running into with the enormous Cell processor).

This is why Microsoft announced that they will be shrinking their processors for the 360 next year. It makes the chips cheaper to produce.

The NVidia 6000 series was actually made using 110nm technology, and they shrank to 90nm when they released the 7000 series. 90nm is what MS is using currently for the 360.

Anyway, to recap:
MS *is* using a top of the line processor and CMOS process. It is ANYTHING BUT "bargain basement."
Older CMOS processes are MORE EXPENSIVE to make large, complex chips on because they give less yield.

Sam Goldman @ May 30th 2006 11:44AM

I SO wish that quote referred to a Wii.

NightOwl @ May 30th 2006 11:49AM

I also have to give props for the sauce of choice, Sweet Baby Ray's. If you are a self-respecting BBQ fan, and you aren't familiar with it, you need to give it a try.

Just make sure you wash those hands before you game after some baby-back ribs!

Canadian Geese @ May 30th 2006 12:03PM

NightOwl,is that you? The king of Crimson Skies? It's eojjoe! Add "Canadian Geese" to your friends list. I lost your number.

Ipsum @ May 30th 2006 12:58PM

You know, Joystiq should start making their readers register, because posting comments should be a *priviledge* There are some pretty idiotic posts here, (being the nice guy that I am, I won't mention Cullen's or bladestar's names), and it's really sickening. It's their damn site guys, let them do whatever the hell they want with it. Don't like it, don't read it, simple as that. Or better yet, go make your own blog. You've no reason to be giving anything other than constructive criticism, unless you're an attention deprived 8 year old hoping that your worthless thoughts are recognized by anyone.

In my defense, I'm not recognizing their thoughts; I'm recognizing their stupidity.

Ipsum @ May 30th 2006 1:06PM

Besides, give Conrad a break. Apparently he does all the posts for TUAW O_O.

Geist @ May 30th 2006 1:17PM

Man, my friend brought his 360 over the other night, and lemme tell ya, the rumours don't do that thing justice. The power supply is huge, and damn near as heavy as the console itself. I was very suprised.

bladestar @ May 30th 2006 1:47PM

Ipsum, I'm registered. I'm aware that this is their site, but it is fun to see how pissed you fanboys get when someone say something positive about the 360 or the PS3. Besides take a look under what category is this post: XBox 360 Fanboy. You would think that you’d come to this section to find XBox 360 news or rumors but instead you find XBox bashing full of wii fanboys comments. I will not deny it; is fun to read. I also love to see people's reactions when someone says anything good about the 360 or anything negative about the wii. I need this everyday. And yes I do have a life. I am married, have a dog, own my 2 houses, 3 cars, work as a software/web/database developer making $120,000/year working 4 hours a day(most of the time from home). Just in case you are about to tell me to get a life. ohh yeah by the way, I own a 360, will own a PS3 and a wii. And unlike most of you I don't have to beg my mom to buy a wii and then feel the need to bash every other console out there just because I can't afford them. So why do I keep coming back here? It's not because of news or rumors, There are lots of sites you can find that. But joystiq have the most hostile, killer, hard-headed fanboys on the web. And they even give you negative starts when you don't agree with their post (I hope I get more negative starts soon).

canebi @ May 30th 2006 2:23PM

LOL at Bladestar!
12 year olds dont have 2 houses silly! It's time for school go get your lunch out of the fridge silly.

fashionfauxpas @ May 30th 2006 2:52PM

i didnt know you can have 2 homes and 3 cars in the game of LIFE? i always get stuck with twins when i play with my nieces.

on topic... so the power brick is big, it does the job, doesn't it? its not like it was meant to be in front of the TV. i hide all my wires and power supplies away. it makes the entertainment area alot cleaner.

also, i think Dinosaur BBQ sauce is better.

bladestar @ May 30th 2006 3:27PM

1) I'm 24 not 12.
2) The last 2 post where directed to me which proves what I'm talking about. Everyone loves attention from time to time.
3) canebi, fashionfauxpas, is that all?

This is an example of people that can't afford anything in life just because they didn’t finish high school or go to college. Go get some college education and you will see how what I said does not sound impossible.

canebi @ May 30th 2006 3:57PM

You can't talk to me like that, I'm a sr.software engineer that makes $300,000 a year I have 4 houses, a boat and 5 cars, I have a wife and a mistress, I've got a medal of honor and have served in the army for 7 years fighting in 2 wars. Whats really odd is how none of this has to do with weither I have a life or not, nor does it have to do with Fanboys, the Xbox power supply, or BBQ sauce (mmm).

"This is an example of people that can't afford anything in life just because they didn’t finish high school or go to college."

That was an educated response right there, out of my 1 sentence response you have concluded that I have no education and no money.

Sounds like you're 12 to me, are you sure you finished Highschool? It's ok to change your mind now no one will think differently of you I swear.

canebi @ May 30th 2006 3:58PM

Ipsum @ May 30th 2006 4:05PM

...How are you registered? This site doesn't require any kind of registration. And the fact that you feel you have something to prove doesn't help your case at all. Anyway, just forget about it, Joystiq feels that comments like yours have a place on this site as well, so whatever.

Uncle Louie @ May 30th 2006 6:40PM

Bladestar, I found your first posting quite hilarious. Hopefully you didn't receive a negative star over that. After all, this is SUPPOSED to be fun. It's not like we're having a serious discussion on advanced mathematics and it relates to experimental optical camouflage technology. We're talking about the size of a power supply. Again.

rudimentalist @ May 30th 2006 7:12PM

I thought the Gamecube's power supply box was pretty big. Oh, and it has a little handle. Haha. I always thought that was just general video-gamer humor, not anything to get fanboys rowled up. Anything seems to these days. Does everyone really think there's some slanderous intent behind articles like this? It's just game related humor.